What are the "True colors" of ziva/rudra?

[Guest guest]

Dear list members,

 

there was recently a discussion on color terms (and gems)

on the CTamil discussion list, and especially

on the term maNi (many meanings, but one of them is sapphire/blue)

 

This brought back to my mind

one doubt I have entertained for a long time

about the colour that is attributed to ziva (tam. civan2)

in texts and in paintings, etc.

 

To sum up, in a text like tEvAram (6th to 9th century, wide estimate;

7th-8th century narrow estimate), three colors are attributed to civan2:

-- his body is red (like coral, etc.)

-- his throat is blue/.black (because of poison)

-- he is covered with sacred ash, which is white

 

However, in 20th century popular representations,

he is very often painted as blue.

 

Did some change take place in perception?

 

Since colors are, to some extent, primary perceptions,

although there is a huge variety of colour terms systems,

I would like to known whether something is known about

the colour of rudra and its place in the system

of colour terms for vedic sanskrit.

 

Thanks for any pointers

 

-- Jean-Luc CHEVILLARD

 

P.S. My original question to the CTamil list

about the color of civan2 (turning from red to blue)

(with the quotations from tEvAram) is at URL:

<CTamil/message/214>

 

 

P.S2. some pointers for the discussion in the CTamil list

on gems and color terms:

<CTamil/message/179>

<CTamil/message/187>

[Guest guest]

Old and bhakti Tamil texts portray Shiva as of red color only.

Even his hair is red. Tiruppan2antAL, with the palm tree as

stalavriksham and the seat of an ancient Saivasiddhanta Adheenam,

has the Shiva whose name is "ceJcaTaiyappar" = aruNajaTezvarar.

This is in Vedas, Shiva is Rudra/Agni...

In Tamil poems, the pulavars point out that he appears white,

because he is anointed with vibhUti/tirunIRu. Due to the

drinking of aalakaala poison emerging in the samudramanthanam

legend, his throat only is black(blue).

See art historian Dr. R. Nagaswamy's harihara page:

http://freehomepages.com/brahadheesh/tamilarts/articles/harihara.html

 

Shiva completely blue is modern phenomenon in TN, I think.

After the appearance of calender prints and litho-printing

in color. It may be worthwhile to check whether Raja Ravivarma

or Puttappa painted Shiva wholly blue (=black) in the South.

Stephen Inglis (Toronto museum?) had an exhibition on calender

prints from Tamilnadu some years ago. There was a catalog by him,

may be someone in the can find out the title.

 

Sinha, Indra. Tantra : the cult of ecstasy

London : Hamlyn, 2000. Few Sivacharyars showed me the book,

(and they were shocked at the pictures about Shiva, many

Tamils don't accept the phallic connection with Shiva,

Gudimallam Lingam is known in small circles).

In there, Shiva is portrayed blue. Also, may be there is

a connexion with the varNa color scheme. The topmost

varNam is white and shuudras are black. Shiva is a permanent

outsider, so given blue-black nowadays?

 

With Bengali renaissance, and modern Indian painting taking

off from the Bengal (Jaimini Roy, Roy Choudhuri, ...),

experts of and from the Bengali culture will be able to tell us

about blue Shiva.

 

As far as ancient Tamil literature is, only Narayana

is maNivarNa - whose color is deep blue sapphire.

Like Krishna-Arjuna pair, Narayana-Nara is black-white

respectively. Shiva is red, anointed in nIru ("to cool off"),

his throat is black(blue).

 

Regards,

N. Ganesan

[Guest guest]

Stephen R. Inglis, 'Suitable for Framing: The Work of a Modern

Master', in Babb and Wadley, Media and the transformation of

religion in south Asia. p. 51-75.

 

This will have citations for one or more of his works on calender

prints of Tamil Nadu.

 

INDOLOGY, naga_ganesan@h... wrote:

>

> Old and bhakti Tamil texts portray Shiva as of red color only.

> Even his hair is red. Tiruppan2antAL, with the palm tree as

> stalavriksham and the seat of an ancient Saivasiddhanta Adheenam,

> has the Shiva whose name is "ceJcaTaiyappar" = aruNajaTezvarar.

> This is in Vedas, Shiva is Rudra/Agni...

> In Tamil poems, the pulavars point out that he appears white,

> because he is anointed with vibhUti/tirunIRu. Due to the

> drinking of aalakaala poison emerging in the samudramanthanam

> legend, his throat only is black(blue).

> See art historian Dr. R. Nagaswamy's harihara page:

>

http://freehomepages.com/brahadheesh/tamilarts/articles/harihara.html

>

> Shiva completely blue is modern phenomenon in TN, I think.

> After the appearance of calender prints and litho-printing

> in color. It may be worthwhile to check whether Raja Ravivarma

> or Puttappa painted Shiva wholly blue (=black) in the South.

> Stephen Inglis (Toronto museum?) had an exhibition on calender

> prints from Tamilnadu some years ago. There was a catalog by him,

> may be someone in the can find out the title.

>

> Sinha, Indra. Tantra : the cult of ecstasy

> London : Hamlyn, 2000. Few Sivacharyars showed me the book,

> (and they were shocked at the pictures about Shiva, many

> Tamils don't accept the phallic connection with Shiva,

> Gudimallam Lingam is known in small circles).

> In there, Shiva is portrayed blue. Also, may be there is

> a connexion with the varNa color scheme. The topmost

> varNam is white and shuudras are black. Shiva is a permanent

> outsider, so given blue-black nowadays?

>

> With Bengali renaissance, and modern Indian painting taking

> off from the Bengal (Jaimini Roy, Roy Choudhuri, ...),

> experts of and from the Bengali culture will be able to tell us

> about blue Shiva.

>

> As far as ancient Tamil literature is, only Narayana

> is maNivarNa - whose color is deep blue sapphire.

> Like Krishna-Arjuna pair, Narayana-Nara is black-white

> respectively. Shiva is red, anointed in nIru ("to cool off"),

> his throat is black(blue).

>

> Regards,

> N. Ganesan